Famous love stories passed down over generations
@bluemoonpavilion (4658)
Singapore
July 22, 2010 4:20am CST
Most of you here would know the story of Romeo and Juliet. They are a pair of star-crossed lovers whose families are sworn enemies. They have a tragic ending when both died in the end.
There was a similar Chinese story on Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai. They became classmates when Zhu dressed herself as a male and became good friends with Liang. Later they fall in love but Zhu was betrothed to another man. Liang was struck with an illness and later died. Being forced on her way to the wedding, Zhu passed the tomb of Liang, she jumped in to be with Liang. The story ended by the tomb cracking open and they emerged as a pair of butterflies, the story is known as the "Butterfly Lovers".
Are you familiar with this story and do you have a similar version in your country?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
22 Jul 10
hi bluemoon this reminds me of a poem about the highway man
who was going to his love, the innkeepers daughter, I will
be there by moonlight though hell should bar the way.
However the kings minions had got his number and of
course he was caught trying to get to his love. the inn keepers
daughter. A very sad poem and one we used to have to
recite in class when I was just in mid school.
@bluemoonpavilion (4658)
• Singapore
23 Jul 10
Thanks for posting the link. I have always like reading poems because I think it is very precise writing. The author has to use exact words that rhymed and that is no easy feat.
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
22 Jul 10
In India there are quite a few famous love stories like Laila-Majnu, Heer-Ranjha and Shiri-Farad. These were the tragic ones in which the love did not materialize and they ended up either taking their lives or in tragic circumstances. On the other hand there are some great successful love stories like Sati Savitri, Shahjahan-Noor Jehan (Taj Mahal was build by Shah Jehan in the memory of Noor Jehan)
Cheers!
Ram
@bluemoonpavilion (4658)
• Singapore
23 Jul 10
Thanks for your sharing. Though I'm not familiar with all these stories, except of course of Shah Jehan and Taj Mahal, I'm sure these are all great stories. Would you care to elaborate on some of them? Give us some meat to savour, thanks! 
1 person likes this
@qianyun6 (2067)
• China
22 Jul 10
Of course! As a Chinese I'm very familiar with the story of Liang & Zhu. As for Romeo and Juliet, I knew them from children's fairy tales. After I grew up, I read Shakespeare's composition collection and had a better understanding of it. Both of the two were about very beautiful loves with a tragic ending, it feels really depressed after reading them.
@bluemoonpavilion (4658)
• Singapore
23 Jul 10
Hi qianyun,
Maybe you are a romantic at heart so you feel depressed. I know I always cry after watching Liang & Zhu. It makes me very sad. I really admire the authors for writing such great stories which last forever.
@lacieice (2060)
• United States
22 Jul 10
Along with famous love stories, there are also local ones.
I live in Pennsylvania, USA, and near my home there is a range of hills, and one particular spot that has a great view of the river below and lots of countryside is called Lover's Leap.
The legand goes that an Indian girl and an Indian boy from warring tribes fell in love, the the tribes wouldn't let them be together. They were so much in love that they couldn't bear to live apart, so they decided to leap off the cliff and be together forever.
@bluemoonpavilion (4658)
• Singapore
23 Jul 10
Why do lovers always think that dying together is the way to reunite? Do they know the afterworld? How would they find each other again?
I think there are many landmarks with stories like that. We have our own Chinese version of cliff leaping lovers, I think there was a hill which was shaped like two lovers bowing their heads together and then a story emerged.
@carpediem17 (1315)
• Singapore
22 Jul 10
Besides the western and eastern stories that you have mentioned, I think a rather famous one will be the movie that spun off the song "Love is a Many Splendoured Thing". The story is set circa 1955 and the relationship between an american journalist and a chinese girl in HK during a period which is not very common.
Another love story that impressed me was the one between Princess Mahrani Gayatri Devi and Man Singh II in Jaipur. I picked up this story during my travel there. The beautiful princess was from a privileged background and foreign schooled and I believe she took the early step of pursuing Man Singh who was married.
@carpediem17 (1315)
• Singapore
22 Jul 10
and I forgot to mention the great love story of the Taj Mahal where Shah Jahan built for his belated wife.
@bluemoonpavilion (4658)
• Singapore
23 Jul 10
You are very learned. I have not heard of these stories except for the Taj Mahal one.
Princess Mahrani is very forward thinking and must have had a hard time pursuing her love. It must have been quite a social stigma then, and even now.
@mysterioususer (79)
•
23 Jul 10
yes we have similer stories from our country and it is the same as Romeo and Juliet...its called Heer Ranjha and the story revolves around same sort of stuff...
